The National Judicial Council (NJC) will today begin a two-day crucial meeting over the fate of suspended President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Isa Salami, and other pending judicial matters.
A source close to the NJC also confided in LEADERSHIP yesterday that the NJC would also take a definite decision on the pending appointments of Chief Judges (CJs) for some states, including Adamawa, Nasarawa and Abia states.
The source, who is also a member of the NJC but sought anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the meeting, stated that the NJC would take action on the recommendations of its Committee on Performance Evaluation of Judicial Officers of Superior Courts of Records in the Federation.
The source said”, I have received a notice of? the NJC? two-day meeting which begins? on Wednesday (today) and ends on Thursday. Though the issue of Salami is not listed in the agenda, I am aware that the issue will come under the AOB. You will recall that the NJC had recommended for his reinstatement while the Presidency is yet to recall him on the grounds of pendency of suits. But certain group has filed a suit on the matter just as the Council has filed certain affidavit on the matter.
“I know that members will definitely take action on his matter because the time had come for us to put the sad episode behind us. Another issue is that of pendency of suits. Though suits filed against Salami’s reinstatement had been struck out, the suit filed by him is still pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Court of Appeal in Abuja. I am worried about the matter but I know that members will find a way to resolve it by asking him to withdraw the case for amicable resolution of the matter.??
? “And I can also tell you that the issue of recommendations over pending appointments of CJs for some states including Adamawa, Nasarawa, Abia and others will be ratified. This is to pave the way for the appointments of substantive CJs in the affected states while those who have been acting as CJs will now go back to their courts.
“We will also look at the assessments and the evaluations of all judicial officers in the federation by our committee on the issue, based on their quarterly returns of cases to the council.?
The controversial issue of Justice Salami had remained a source of concern to stakeholders in the judiciary, following a crisis of confidence between him and the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina –Alu. The development led to the suspension of Salami by President Goodluck Jonathan on August 18, 2011.
Though the NJC had recommended the reinstatement of Salami, the federal government had through the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan would only recall Salami when the judiciary put its house in order.
But Justice Abdu Kafarati of a Federal High Court in Abuja had on Monday struck out a suit by a supposed plaintiff, Wilfred Okoli, seeking to restrain President Jonathan from reinstating Justice Salami. In the suit, Okoli purportedly named NJC, Salami, the AGF and President Jonathan as co-defendants. A drama had ensued when Okoli told the court that he had no knowledge of the suit filed in his name by an Abuja -based lawyer, Mr. Amobi Nzelu.
When the matter came-up in court and parties in the matter were to enter appearances, Okoli swiftly got up and said he was not aware of the suit filed in his name. He said, “My lord, I am not aware of this suit, my consent was never sought before it was brought to before you. I have no knowledge of it.? I neither gave consent nor authorised that the suit be instituted in the first instance. I did not brief anybody whatsoever to commence the suit on my behalf. I do not have any cause of action against any of the defendants.”
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